A new initiative uses Indigenous insights to amplify soil’s ability to absorb CO₂
Rock dust is a common mining and industrial byproduct, and the researchers also are experimenting with compost and biochar — readily available from agricultural and timber operations — to see if various combinations further expedite the process.
It’s an interesting idea being pursued by a coalition of scientists, farmers, and Indigenous tribes working alongside folks from the mining, timber, and compost industries. Some of the tests are being conducted on Southern California land managed and farmed by the Pauma tribe, which was already experimenting with carbon sequestration. “It could support what tribes were already doing in terms of land management,” says Beth Rose Middleton, a UC Davis professor who studies Native environmental policy and has been helping forge tribal partnerships with the WLIC.